books

Dance All Night, a holiday novella set in Alexis Daria’s award-winning Dance Off series about finding love on and off the dance floor.

The next installment in The Dance Off series is live! If you enjoy lighthearted Christmas romances with swoon-worthy dance numbers and a hefty dose of humor, this novella is for you. Dance All Night features Nik Kovalenko (from Dance with Me) and Jess Davenport (from Take the Lead), but it can be read as a standalone. Nik and Jess were a joy to write, but this release is extra exciting because it marks me dipping my toe into indie publishing waters. The experience was super fun and I’m so happy to be able to bring you more Dance Off stories!

Last year, they shared a midnight kiss at a New Year’s Eve party that made both of them believe—briefly—in the magic of the holiday season. The magic was cut short when Nik went on tour the next day, but he never stopped thinking about that kiss—or Jess.

When the holidays roll back around, Nik runs into Jess again. He doesn’t want to spend another year pining for the Scrooge who got away, so he tells Jess he’ll stay if she’ll give him a shot at being her Christmas Present.

Jess thinks he’s full of it, but she agrees to three dates. If Nik can make her believe in holiday magic in a place as un-wintery as Los Angeles—and convince her that he’s ready to stick around—she’ll give him a chance. But he won’t know until New Year’s Eve. If she kisses him at midnight, he’ll have his answer…

I’m so excited to share Nik and Jess’s story with you. It takes place after the events of Take the Lead and Dance with Me, but even though the previous couples show up briefly, Dance All Night can be read as a standalone. If you love lighthearted Christmas romances with swoon-worthy dance numbers and a hefty dose of humor, this novella is for you.

The events in Dance with Me take place three years after Dimitri and Natasha first meet, so here’s a bonus scene showing how that moment went down. I shared this on Facebook last week, but I wanted to give this scene a permanent home on my site. I’ll be sharing more like this with my newsletter subscribers, so make sure you’re signed up!

I recognize him immediately.

Dimitri Kovalenko, one of the judges, a dancer who catapulted to stardom thanks to a dance movie made almost 15 years ago.

This has been quite a year, folks. Back in January, I had just finished editing Take the Lead and sent it off to agents and the Golden Heart contest. Natasha and Dimitri had emerged as the next couple in The Dance Off series, and I had a vague blurb. That was it. Now, less than a year later, Take the Lead was named one of The Washington Post‘s 5 Best Romances of 2017 and Dance with Me is available for everyone to read. So yeah…quite a year. Thanks for following along, and I hope you enjoy Natasha and Dimitri’s story.

Dance with Me, the second in a sizzling new series about finding love on and off the dance floor.

Natasha Díaz is having a day. She’s trying to prove she can make it as a professional dancer, but she’s overworked, out of cash, and her roommate has just moved out. When she comes home to find a hole in her ceiling and her bedroom flooded, she’s desperate enough to crash with the one guy she can’t quit. She accepts his offer with one condition: no sleeping together while she’s living with him.

Dimitri Kovalenko has never lived with a woman before. But when Tasha’s in need of a place to stay, he suggests she move in without a second thought. He accepts her condition, hoping she won’t stick to it. They’re good together, both in the ballroom and the bedroom. Since their first dance, she’s never been far from his thoughts. Sure, she’s a pro and he’s one of her show’s judges, but they’re not currently filming, so no one needs to know.

Living in close quarters shows Dimitri a side of Natasha he’s never seen before, and he likes it. A lot. Too bad she’s doing everything in her power to keep him at arm’s length. When an injury forces Natasha to take it easy or risk her ability to dance, it’s his chance to show her that the rules have changed, and she can trust him with her heart.

Dance with Me, Book 2 in The Dance Off series, releases in three weeks!

I do have more stories planned for the characters from The Dance Off world, but no release dates yet. Hopefully next year! In the meantime, I’m having fun developing a new contemporary romance project and gearing up for Dance with Me‘s release on December 12th. As with Take the Lead, I’ve made a Dance with Me Spotify playlist based on what I listened to while I was writing the book and songs that inspired some of the scenes, and a Pinterest board for Dimitri and Natasha. Enjoy! And if you’ve started a playlist or board for Dance with Me, let me know!

I’ve got a few interviews posted in different places, so I’ll link to them here (and on the Press page).

Made by gifgrrl.com

RT Book Reviews featured me for their Debut Author Spotlight, where I talked about getting “The Call” and attending the Fame school. Read it here.

USA Today’s HEA blog included me in an interview with Priscilla Oliveras, Mia Sosa, and Sabrina Sol, three awesome Latina romance authors. We talked about the influence Latinx culture has had on us as writers, cultural stereotypes we hope to dispel in our writing, and made some book recommendations. Read it here.

I also answered questions about my writing process and publishing journey for 17 Scribes, the website for authors debuting in 2017. Read it here.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions you’d like me to answer here! Or better yet, send me a tweet. 😉

This is a big day for me—the debut of my first book! If you’ve been watching this space, you’ll know this has been something I’ve been working toward for a while. I recently wrote about my evolution as a writer over on the RWchat blog, and I talked about my publishing journey over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. Still, it’s weird to think that a year ago, I had three chapters of a story I was excited about, and now, finally, Take the Lead is out in the world! More info below!

TAKE THE LEAD, the debut contemporary romance from 2017 Golden Heart finalist Alexis Daria, is out now! The first in a sizzling new series about finding love on and off the dance floor.

Gina Morales wants to win. It’s her fifth season on The Dance Off, a top-rated network TV celebrity dance competition, and she’s never even made it to the finals. When she meets her latest partner, she sees her chance. He’s handsome, rippling with muscles, and he stars on the popular Alaskan wilderness reality show Living Wild. With his sexy physique and name recognition, she thinks he’s her ticket to the finals—until she realizes they’re being set up.

Stone Nielson hates Los Angeles, he hates reality TV, and he hates that fact that he had to join the cast of the The Dance Off because of family obligations. He can’t wait to get back to Alaska, but he also can’t deny his growing attraction to his bubbly Puerto Rican dance partner. Neither of them are looking for romantic entanglements, and Stone can’t risk revealing his secrets, but as they heat up the dance floor, it’s only a matter of time until he feels an overwhelming urge to take the lead.

When the tabloids catch on to their developing romance, the spotlight threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their careers and their shot at the trophy. Gina and Stone will have to decide if their priorities lie with fame, fortune, or the chance at a future together.